A pair of Preds are bringing some hardware back to Nashville.
Predators goaltender Juuse Saros and forward Erik Haula helped their native Finland to a bronze medal with a 5-1 victory over Slovakia on Saturday at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Saros made 30 saves in the win, and Haula scored twice - including what proved to be the game-winning goal - against the Slovaks to give Finland their eighth Olympic medal overall in men’s ice hockey and their fifth in six Olympics to include NHL players - more than any other country. Four of those medals have been bronze.
Combined with Friday’s 3-2 loss to Canada, Saros made 66 saves across Finland’s final two games, and Haula recorded three goals over the last two days.
Saros started every game for Finland in his first Olympic Winter Games appearance and finished with a 4-1-1 record with a .938 save percentage while backstopping his country. Haula recorded three goals and three assists for the Finns.
Per NHL PR, Haula became just the third Finnish player to score in consecutive playoff games during an Olympics involving NHL players, joining Ville Peltonen (3 GP in 2006: QF, SF, GMG) and Olli Jokinen (2 GP in 2006: QF & SF).
Saros and Haula were the only two Preds players in contention for Olympic medals after Roman Josi and Switzerland, as well as Filip Forsberg and Sweden, were previously eliminated in the tournament.
Preds Head Athletic Trainer Kevin Morley, who is serving as a trainer with Team USA, will participate in the final hockey game of the Olympic Winter Games when the United States faces Canada for Gold at 7 a.m. CT Sunday on NBC.
Back in Nashville, the Olympians will rejoin their teammates soon as the Predators continue to practice ahead of the resumption of the NHL season. The Preds host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena.
